Gryphon Diablo 120 Integrated Amplifier

The understated styling and forceful lines of the satin black, brushed aluminium chassis and gleaming black acrylic faceplate represent a superb level of fit and finish, exceptional audio finesse and a sense of unlimited power all on a single chassis.

The casework, consisting of interlocking blocks of flawless acrylic and deeply brushed and anodized aluminium, is true to the acclaimed Gryphon house style, a complex construct of contrasting angles and planes that is both reassuringly intricate and impressively solid.

Built entirely at Gryphon’s Danish research and development and manufacturing facility, the Diablo 120 inherits the dual-mono circuitry, ultra-short signal path, heavily gold-plated printed circuit boards, minimal internal wiring, high-quality gold-plated and PTFE-insulated sockets and proprietary binding posts employed in our flagship models. Only the finest audiophile grade components have been selected based on strenuous, extended auditioning for sound quality, thermal stability and long-term reliability. The wire-wound emitter resistors in the original Atilla output stage have been upgraded to non-inductive types for Diablo 120.

The meticulous attention to electrical and mechanical grounding, typical of our top of the line designs, is also equally in evidence here.

The Diablo 120 integrated amplifier is essentially two independent mono devices for reduced crosstalk and minimal interchannel interaction. The only things shared electrically between channels are the famed Holmgren toroidal transformer and AC power cable.

The custom made 1,300 VA transformer adds substantial heft with discrete secondary windings for left and right channels. Each channel is fed by its own 60,000 µF capacitor bank.

The output power of the Diablo 120 is 20% greater than that of the original Atilla: 2 x 120 W (8Ω), 2 x 240 W (4Ω), 2 x 440 W (2Ω). Consistent increases of output power as impedance is halved is a reliable indicator of exceptional high current capability, just as the extraordinary wide audio bandwidth, 0.1Hz to 250 kHz (-3 dB), is a sign of extreme stability. Heatsink surface area has also been increased to match the increase in output power.

With two pairs of Sanken transistors, Diablo 120 can easily drive difficult loudspeaker loads without the faintest hint of strain.

The Diablo 120 circuit employs zero global negative feedback and a unique microprocessor controlled passive attenuator for the most transparent volume control ever conceived. Regardless of the selected level, the 46-step relay attenuator places maximum six resistors in the signal path for ultimate sonic purity.

A large, graphical vacuum fluorescent display is employed instead of a more conventional LED character display to provide space for more information and a larger, more easily legible font. The lavish display and extensive control circuits are powered independently via a separate, isolated transformer in order to eliminate any risk of noise contamination. All front panel controls are touch sensitive (capacitive actuation.)

The Diablo 120 offers one balanced and four single-ended inputs, a comprehensive menu of configuration options (four levels of display brightness, user-defined start and maximum volume settings, individual source labelling with eight-character names and a dedicated and electrically isolated A/V bypass function for uncompromising integration with a multi-channel audio system.